The Competitive Nature of Javaris Crittenton’s Injury

You really have to feel bad for the guy. It seems he’s always been on teams where, especially at his position, the competition is high and the chances are low (well, with the exception of last year). Now he’s forced to wear a boot, his third time donning one this summer, and sit out the next couple of weeks, watching the competition pass him by. Wizards Insider and Wizards Outlet both have some additional details on Crittenton’s injury to his left foot, a double bone bruise and a strained tendon.

It seems like the downside of high competition (if you’re really trying hard to find a negative) has reared it’s head. With so much pressure, Crittenton likely pushed his injury, first experienced in an Atlanta ProAm game in July, more than he would have otherwise. “We tried to speed up the progress of it healing,” he said in reference to each time he’s put on a boot (in Atlanta, in DC before training camp and now), but was never able to get it back to one hundred percent.

He said he’s been able to make it through every practice despite the soreness and pain he was feeling. But on Friday his foot reached its limit and he had to take himself out of practice. The Wizards staff suggested that he get an MRI.

“The MRI came out worse than before,” said Javaris, indicating that it’s one of those injuries that just takes time to heal. He said that continuing to play on the tender ankle would only make it a nagging injury and could possibly lead to surgery.

Crittenton seems a bit down about the set-back, saying “It makes me sick to think about it,” referencing the situation in which the injury occurred (he felt he shouldn’t have been in the game in Atlanta with his team up 12 points in the waning seconds). Hopefully now, he will take the time to heal properly, keep his spirits high, and stay focused. With his length, Flip could turn to him off the bench as a nice change of pace defensively down the road. And in the NBA, another opportunity is always around the corner.

Fabricio Oberto also sat out of practice for the second day in a row on Saturday with a tight hamstring. He told Saunders that if he wanted him to go, he could, but Saunders said, “We didn’t want to take a chance.” Because of his heart surgery this past summer, he likely hasn’t had the chance to work on his conditioning as much. So, I wouldn’t see this as a sign of him ‘breaking down’ because of his age or anything.

Kyle founded TAI in 2007 and has been weaving in and out the world of Wizards ever since, ducking WittmanFaces, jumping over G-Wiz, and avoiding stints on the DNP-Conditioning list. He has covered the Washington pro basketball team as a member of the media since 2009. Kyle lives in D.C. with his wife, loves basketball, and has no pets.

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